ODJ: what we wear
“She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people (v.8). READ: Revelation 19:6-13 I once knew a guy who liked to say, “The clothes make the man.” He dressed impeccably and enjoyed strutting into meetings in his fine-tailored trappings. Sadly, his personal [...]
ODB: close on His heels
October 23, 2009
READ: Matthew 4:18-25
Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. —Matthew 4:19
Stan and Jennifer were speaking at a mission conference in Marion, North Carolina, after their first term of service on the field.
Jennifer told of a Bible study she had held with one woman. The two were discussing Matthew 4:19, and the woman told Jennifer about a word in her native language, which means follow. She said, “It is the word for following closely, not at a distance.”
To illustrate, Jennifer held up slippers used by the native women, showing one far behind the other. Then she moved one slipper right up against the back of the other one, and said that the word means “to follow right on one’s heels.” It suggests that we are to follow Jesus as closely as possible.
Later, when Jennifer was reading over the journal she had been keeping, she was surprised to see that she had often questioned, “Is Jesus enough?” She had been working her way through culture shock, loneliness, illness, and childlessness. At times she had felt far from Christ. But when through prayer and faith she had drawn as close to Him as she could, walking “right on His heels,” He had calmed her soul, restored her strength, and given her peace.
Are you feeling far from the Lord—empty, weak, and afraid? It’s time to follow close on His heels. — David C. Egner
The closer we walk with God, the clearer we see His guidance.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: being satisfied
It was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation (v.10).
READ: Hebrews 2:9-18
Biju Thampy, a young man from India, knew poverty. When an unidentified benefactor sent him to England to be trained for the ministry, Thampy was unwilling to rest in comfort. Hungry for the realization of the Great Commission, he asked the school officials to use part of the funds from his meal provisions for missions. For him, eating only one meal a day was a small price to pay. Today, his church in Mumbai feeds approximately 1,000 children each day while teaching them the gospel. An amazing feat, but only a fraction of the city’s more than 200,000 homeless children.
The world teaches us to measure our contentment based upon our circumstances. We not only live in a “gotta have it” culture, but one telling us “have it your way.” If something you buy doesn’t work the way you want it to, return it. If a relationship doesn’t work, let it go. If your job isn’t what you wanted, find a new one. If you feel something is missing in your life, a person or material thing can make you happier. We refuse to do without.
We will always have needs, things we want, or desired improvements in our relationships. Trying to find answers in our circumstances leaves our hearts indecisive about God’s provision (James 1:5-8). Only Christ can fulfill what we truly need. Godly contentment goes beyond circumstances.
Contentment doesn’t just happen. It’s a choice that begins by seeing things from God’s perspective (Job 28:24). When we see Him as our source, our needs become defined by His heart. We choose:
• To trust in the Lord above things, people, and situations (Philippians 4:6-7).
• To pull our thoughts toward what really matters (v.8).
• To look at what we have, instead of what we don’t have and to see Christ as our source of satisfaction (vv.11-13). —Regina Franklin
How have you been looking at your circumstances from your perspective rather than God’s? How is God calling you to invest in others?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: failing memory
October 22, 2009
READ: Psalm 119:33-40
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. —Psalm 119:37
A New York Times article linked the increase of computer storage with the decrease of data in the human mind. Our electronic aids now remember phone numbers, driving directions, and other information we used to learn by repeated use. In schools, memorization and oral recitation are disappearing from the curriculum. We have become, according to the Times, “products of a culture that does not enforce the development of memory skills.”
Yet never have we as followers of Christ been in greater need of hiding God’s Word in our hearts (Ps. 119:9-11). Scripture memory is more than a helpful mental exercise. The goal is to saturate our minds with God’s truth so that our lives will conform to His ways. The psalmist wrote: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. . . . Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way” (Ps. 119:33,37).
Why not begin committing Scripture to memory? Daily consistency and review are keys to success. And just like physical exercise, this spiritual discipline is enhanced when done with a small group or with a friend.
Let’s not forget to remember and follow the life-giving wisdom of God’s Word. — David C. McCasland
Let the Bible fill your mind, rule your heart, and guide your life.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Check out these new wallpapers by Jing! We really like them! Download::1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 Download::1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 We will be featuring a new graphic novel by Jing in December. Keep a lookout on YMIblogging.org!
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: a mighty fortress
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble (v.1).
READ: Psalm 46
You might know of Martin Luther as the father of the Reformation and that he translated the whole Bible into German. But what is less known is that Luther was also a composer of 37 hymns. His best-known hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” is also called “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation.” There are at least 70 different English translations of this hymn. The most popular version, containing the words “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing,” was translated in 1853.
Luther’s hymn is based on Psalm 46. In that psalm, the author writes of the refuge and protection that God provides in times of trouble (v.1). Things like natural disasters (vv.2-3) are an ever-present reality. The world has often experienced great devastation and destruction caused by earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons. And Jesus warned us of a future cataclysmic and cosmic catastrophe (Luke 21:11,25-26; Matthew 24:29-30; Revelation 16:18-21). But no matter what happens, whatever the outward circumstances, those who make God their refuge and strength are safe (Psalm 46:1-3).
We live in a world of conflict (vv.8-9), with war and hostility between nations commonplace. In the last several decades, hundreds of wars have been fought. Yet Jesus spoke of even more and bigger wars (Luke 21:9-10; Matthew 24:6-7) and the final war of the world, Armageddon (Zechariah 14:2-3; Revelation 16:12-16, 19:11-21). The outcome of that apocalyptic battle will be victory for God’s people (Psalm 46:5) and peace for the world (v.9). Twice we are assured that the “Lord of Heaven’s Armies” is with us; our God is our fortress (vv.7,11).
No matter the circumstance, God calls us to “be still, and know that I am God!” (v.10). With hope in Him we sing, “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” —K.T. Sim
What trials and troubles are you dealing with? Why is it so difficult to be still before God when you’re facing them?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: who goes there?
October 21, 2009
READ: John 10:1-6
When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him. —John 10:4
Last fall my wife, Carolyn, and I were driving up a winding mountain road near our home in Idaho when we came across a large flock of sheep moving down the road toward us. A lone shepherd with his dogs was in the vanguard, leading his flock out of summer pasture into the lowlands and winter quarters.
We pulled to the side of the road and waited while the flock swirled around us. We watched them until they were out of sight, then I wondered: Do sheep fear change, movement, new places?
Like most older folks, I like the “fold”—the old, familiar places. But all is shifting and changing these days; I’m being led out, away from familiar surroundings and into a vast unknown. What new limits will overtake me in the coming days? What nameless fears will awaken? Jesus’ words from John 10 come to mind: “When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them” (v.4).
We may well be dismayed at what life has for us this year and next, but our Shepherd knows the way we’re taking. And He goes before. He will not lead us down paths too dangerous or too arduous where He cannot help us. He knows our limits. He knows the way to green pasture and good water; all we have to do is follow. — David H. Roper
Our unknown future is secure in the hands of our all-knowing God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...who’s in control?
By nature we all have a desire to control our world. From infancy we turn to our own independent way, trying to control circumstances, the future, people—and even God if we could. Since we can’t, we end up frustrated, hostile, and critical. Our need to be in control is rooted in excessive self-love. For example, [...]
(8 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: what’s in a name?
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means “rock”), and upon this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it (v.18).
READ: Matthew 16:13-20
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” mused Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It’s evident that Juliet was not Hebrew. For the people of ancient Israel felt that the meaning behind a person’s name was vitally important. Parents carefully chose a name based on the personality, characteristics, or character that they saw in their child, or what they hoped would be true of their son or daughter.
When Jesus first called Simon to be His disciple, the fisherman was known for his rash and reckless ways—a shifting-sand kind of person. Later, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, which means rock. It took a while, however, for Peter to live up to his new name.
We read in a subsequent account (Matthew 26) that Peter failed Jesus by denying Him three times. Prior to that failure was another sad episode in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the garden, Jesus’ soul was “crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). Three times He got up to seek out His disciples. Each time He found them sleeping. “He said to Peter, ‘Couldn’t you watch with Me even one hour?’ ” (v.40).
At the close of the gospel of John, we find Peter returning to his old trade of fishing, perhaps due to disappointment with himself (John 21). But the story doesn’t end there. Jesus came to reinstate Peter. In essence, Jesus helped Peter understand that God had not given up on him and that God still wanted to use him.
If you, like Peter, have received Jesus as your Savior, you now are identified with the name of Christ. You are a Christian. This title lifts up who you are and calls you to become what you are not yet. Be encouraged. God isn’t done with you yet. —Poh Fang Chia
It what ways are you living up to the name of Christ? How are you becoming more and more like Jesus?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: how to help those who hurt
October 20, 2009
READ: 1 Corinthians 13
Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. —1 Corinthians 13:13
When I have asked suffering people, “Who helped you?” not one person has mentioned a PhD from a prestigious seminary or a famous philosopher. All of us have the same capacity to help those who hurt.
No one can package or bottle the “appropriate” response to suffering. If you go to the sufferers themselves, some will recall a friend who cheerily helped distract them from their illness. Others think such an approach insulting. Some want honest, straightforward talk; others find such discussion unbearably depressing.
There is no magic cure for a person in pain. Mainly, such a person needs love, for love instinctively detects what is needed. Jean Vanier, who founded the L’Arche movement for the developmentally disabled, says: “Wounded people who have been broken by suffering and sickness ask for only one thing: a heart that loves and commits itself to them, a heart full of hope for them.”
Such a love may be painful for us. But real love, the apostle Paul reminds us, “Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
As is so often His pattern, God uses very ordinary people to bring about His healing. Those who suffer don’t need our knowledge and wisdom, they need our love. — Philip Yancey
They do not truly love who do not show their love. —Shakespeare
Source: Our Daily Bread
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